Sparkling Summer Memory
by PastellPop
Summary: Her dazzling face was the last thing she saw before she lost consciousness... x One day at the water park, Miku almost drowns but is rescued by a beautiful lifeguard. She wants to see her again, not only to thank her for saving her life, but because she's fascinated by her. Miku x Luka, will contain fluff. Gumi x Rin on the side. Planned to be seven chapters long.
1. Chapter 1

**UPDATE**: this will now be **seven** parts long instead of four.

* * *

A certain day Miku would remember for the rest of her life... started out as a normal fun day in August.

The water in the lively spacious swimming pool was cool and clear. Shiny beads of mist splashed into the air as a blissful Miku eagerly ran down the shallow end grinning, with her friends Rin and Megumi "Gumi" following behind her. The neat little bow on her aqua one-piece top swayed as she ran, along with her skirt in the water.

The three were spending the day at the Otome Water Park, where everything was princess-themed. It was an agreeable place for the three of them. Miku admired princesses, Megumi (whom everyone called Gumi) loved drawing princesses, and Rin... she wanted to _be_ a princess. The reason Miku wore such an elegant swimsuit was because she wanted to fit in with everything.

"Come on slowpokes, hurry!" The excited girl called back to them. Miku was bouncing and already already chest-deep in the refreshing water, hiding that she was reluctant to go any deeper.

"It's really cold..." Rin shivered. She was sensitive to temperatures.

"You're getting awfully eager for a girl who can't swim..." Gumi teased playfully. She didn't mean to sound brash.

"Gumi, that's mean!" Miku turned back to her friends and tried to splash the green-haired girl, who instantly dove underwater and swam away like a dolphin before the spray of water could drench her.

"Wow..." Miku eyed the sight of Gumi underwater and silently marveled at her skill.

"You aren't kidding. Gumi is a star swimmer." Rin stood by Miku and watched Gumi's stroke become breaststroke as she swam off ahead of them.

Gumi surfaced once, then dove deep again, clearly enjoying being surrounded by blue water. It was so perplexing how such a clumsy girl on land was able to maneuver like a dancer underwater. The pool was recently filtered and looked like clear like smooth glass, as if it were a window to another world inhabited by a mermaid. Of course, that mermaid was Gumi.

"She looks like a princess, doesn't she?" Miku whispered to Rin.

The mermaid surfaced to the sight of Miku clapping at her, a wide gaping grin on her face.

"You're amazing!" she beamed.

"Oh, brother." Rin smirked at Miku. That was her catchphrase, mainly because of her twin brother Len.

Gumi glanced away and blushed. Miku always got so carried away with cheering for her friends! She would clap when they did practically anything. She would even clap and cheer when Rin perfectly peeled a tangerine.

"Miku, I'm not that good..." Gumi sighed. She was gasping in air.

"Miku isn't just exaggerating this time. You really are great, Gumi." Rin had lowered her body into the water, bringing it up to her shoulders. "That's why you're such a great member of the school swim team."

Gumi was smiling sheepishly at the blonde girl. "Thanks." she said. She continued underwater and headed towards the deep end, looking to practice her swimming alone. She was quite modest about things and did not intend to receive compliments.

"I wish I could swim..." Miku made a fake pouty face.

"You could always start with taking lessons." Rin said, submerging her entire body in the cool water. "I don't think it's too late."

Rin ended her sentence with a dunk, before she spread her arms out and began to swim away.

"Wait, Rinー"

Miku suddenly felt a bit left behind. Rin was paddling towards the deep end as well, leaving Miku as the only one of the three who wasn't able to swim there.

Not to mention, Gumi and Rin were already best friends before Miku met them on the day of her transfer. She almost felt like a third wheel to their close friendship whenever they would go off somewhere together.

"My friends... they have left me." she thought with anguish. "I'm alone in the shallow end, looking like a loser. Am I a loser?"

Miku sighed and puffed out one cheek. She then realized she was being unlike her usual optimistic self. She decided to dance to the music that played around her to bring her spirits up. Dancing in the water was always fun! She slid, twirled, and flashed poses, her swim skirt elegantly hovering in the water with her every step. Other people were staring at her, but she decided not to care.

After a few minutes of dancing around in the shallow sea of loneliness (A.K.A. the shallow end), Rin and Gumi finally returned near Miku, red-faced and battered from racing through the water together.

"Hey, guys!" Miku raced over towards them, risking being in water that was now up to her shoulders.. "My favorite song is playing, let's dance together!"

"Oh, I'm actually taking Gumi to the bathroom." Rin informed Miku with a small apologetic smile. "Cold water makes her have to pee."

"Rin, d-don't tell her!" Gumi blushed and nudged onto the shorter girl's arm. Rin pat Gumi's back to calm her down.

Miku's heart sank, just a little bit. She concealed it behind the trademark goofy smile that was always on her face.

"Oh... Gumi and Rin are... just going to the bathroom. Together... _without me_..." she thought.

"Um, okay!" Miku faked a wink and gave them the thumbs-up symbol. "I'll wait right here!"

"Alright."

She watched as the silhouettes of Gumi and Rin became smaller and smaller as they walked into the distance. The lively music Miku had been dancing was now replaced with a slower, somber song.

Miku sighed, feeling her whole small body slump.

"For starters, if only I could swim... my day would've gone different. I would be able to spend time with my friends in the deep end, if only I could swim like them."

If only I could swim...

Miku desperately hopped in the deepening water, trying to float. It worked, kind of. She kind of had to flail her arms for it to work, but she gradually found her balance.

"Great start!" she thought. "Yes, I'll do it! I'm going to teach myself to swim while Gumi and Rin are in the bathroom! When they come back out, they'll be in for a surprise!"

The smile came back to her face.

Miku often had outrageous ideas she believed in wholeheartedly. This time was no different. Her take on everything was that it was possible if she believed in it. After all, she was the girl who still believed in magic and fairy tales.

"I feel like I can!" Miku clenched a liberating fist and said it out loud. She emphasized the words "I can".

Miku energetically hopped deeper and deeper into the pool, ever so slowly on her twinkle toes. She crept until the water was up to her chin and she was floating ever so slightly. It was a little bit unnerving to be in so deep, her heart was beating fast, yet she refused to turn back.

Suddenly, the whistle went off. Its shrill sound penetrated through the airーthe signal that the waves were going to come in a few seconds.

"Wait! No!" Miku began panicking. Extra blood pumped through her veins, painting her face red. The water was past her lips now. It was creeping up to her nostrils as the thin girl struggled to keep herself afloat.

"I forgot this was a wave pool!" she shouted in her mind. She scrambled helplessly to rush back into the shallow end before the ripples were to start tossing her around.

The waves in this particular pool were very realistic, much like the ocean's. They started when all the water got pulled back to the deep end, before being unleashed in succession.

"No, please!" Miku felt a brash tide beginning tug her to the undesired direction. Her flimsy strokes and slowed steps couldn't deter the strength of the water. Towards the deep end the sudden current whisked her.

"No!" Miku's head dipped under the chilling water as she struggled to keep it out and maintain her composture. She gasped in as much air as she could and kicked her legs erratically, causing a sharp pain to suddeny slice through her calf like a red-hot beam of agony.

"Owww!" the helpless girl wailed, sending the waves sailing into her mouth. Breathing was hopeless. She curled up, grabbed her leg tightly, giving in and letting the excruciating pain stun her. She let the pull of the waves sweep her limp body out into the open deep end. The stiffness of her curled-up pose resulted in Miku rapidly sinking to the bottom.

Suddenly, when all seemed hopeless, somebody on the side gasped and a different-sounding whistle blew. Miku couldn't hear it from her depth, but Gumi and Rin, who were making their way back from the restroom, could.

"What's going on?" Rin yelped. There appeared to be commotion at the pool before her.

The whistle-blower clasped her hand to her chest. Her blue pupils dilated at the sight of a girl trapped beneath the waves; her aqua-colored hair camouflaging her. She was as still as a statue.

Suddenly, off of the tall stand that faced the deep pit of water, the lifeguard dove in. She entered the blue water as swiftly as an arrow and quickly vanished into the water to retrieve the drowning girl.

"Oh no! Somebody must be drowning!" Gumi clasped her hand over her mouth and rushed towards the scene, her curiosity peaking. She needed to see the drowning person make it out okay. Plus, a heroic rescue from a lifeguard would surely be a sight for Gumi to witness, as she had pondered being one someday.

The two girls stood stiffly at the edge of the shallow end, shock and concern in their eyes.

Underwater, Miku opened her eyes a tiny crack. She was curled up at the dark bottom of the pool and momentarily had no idea which way she was facing. Chilling silent water surrounded each and every area of her body and surfacing was something she simply couldn't do. Her lungs were nearly at their limit. She had nothing else to do besides close her eyes again, and wait…

But instead, her blue eyes shot right open again. A brilliant sight had caught her eye and wouldn't let her go.

Somebody was swimming to Miku from the distance, her movement rapid and graceful. She was soon close enough for Miku to see her face. Her eyes were open and as purely blue as the surroundings, and her face had an expression of fearlessness. Long hair trailed all around her body in ethereal ribbons, and the light patterns dancing on the surface above reflected on her clear skin.

Her stroke was powerful; she rushed with such beauty and force in every movement of her body. The moment her face was finally inches away from Miku, she took her strong arms and wrapped them around Miku's body. Using her legs, she propelled herself up, along with Miku securely in her grasp.

It was just like being in the fairytale she still believed in. Miku, who didn't know she could lose more breath than she already had, was knocked completely breathless. Winded by the gallant hero that had presented herself before her…

The subtle smile on her dazzling face was the final thing Miku saw before her eyes fluttered shut again.

* * *

"Miku… Miku!"

Faint calls of her name poured into her head. She tried opening her eyes. She was lying on a beach chair on her back, her swimsuit dripping and her cold skin warmed by the sun… the faces of her friends Gumi and Rin, along with a few other concerned people were surrounding her in a tight circle as she faced directly upwards.

"I…" Miku uttered. Everything that had happened slowly came back to her.

"She's conscious, everyone!" Rin said in relief. "Give her some time to herself…"

The other people made relieved comments and politely walked away to let Miku be.

"Miku, what happened?" Gumi's eyes were filled with concern. "You were… drowning. But the lifeguard saved you!"

"Lifeguard…"

The visions replayed in Miku's head. That face, that stroke, those eyes… her gallant hero. A warm chill swam through her.

"Miku, you really need to be more careful next time! We were worried sick!" Rin's face and words were brash, but Miku knew that was her way of caring. Deep down, she was an extremely kind girl who'd give everything for her frends.

"Gumi was even crying." Rin pointed to her.

Gumi turned pink again. "Rin! Don't tell her! And besides, you were crying too!"

"I… I had sunscreen in my eyes!" Rin shouted.

"That excuse is the oldest one in the book!" Gumi teased and began ticking Rin, who burst into a fit of giggles. Rin's ticklishness was her weakness.

"Ah! Gumi… okay…" she laughed.

"But both of us are very relieved you're okay, Miku. Miku…?"

"Rin, Gumi…" Miku stood up to confess. "I did something really stupid. While you were gone, I tried to teach myself how to swim."

Rin and Gumi guiltily looked at each other, then back at Miku.

"You guys… you do everything together. You swim together… I can't swim. I guess it was a bit petty of me, but… I felt left out."

"No, we're sorry." Rin almost interrupted. Her voice was modest and apologetic. "Miku… I'm sorry. I've known Gumi longer, and she is my best friend, but… you're my best friend too Miku. I care about you more than you ever could figure out… and I'm so sorry I caused this all to happen. I shouldn't have swam off with Gumi like that."

Gumi nodded. "Miku, we love you. " she said, shyly.

"Guys… thanks." Miku's eyes watered a tiny bit and she reached out to hug Rin and Gumi.

"Besides, the way you think you can do anything... that's what we like about you, Miku. You don't know what impossible is. You never get discouraged..." Gumi rambled.

"You're so kind, Gumi..." Miku patted her soft head as if Gumi were a puppy.

"Let's all play in the shallow end from now on." Rin said. "It's like, more fun there anyway."

Gumi agreed.

Miku was happy to have such good friends, but there was something else she would simply never forget.

Her smile… her embrace… how she had saved her life. Miku wanted to be able to talk to her hero. She was longing for it. What if they could become friends? Thinking about her made Miku's heart flutter and face turn pink. Oh, how she longed to simply know her name!

"Miku, are you okay?" Gumi layered her soft hand over her friend's forehead. "Your face is red… Miku?"

Suddenly, the words flew out of Miku's mouth.

"Beautiful… she was so beautiful."

"...Huh?" Rin and Gumi grew confused in unison.

"She was." Miku said, fondly. "I've never seen anything more gallant."

"You're talking crazy-talk now." Rin squinted. "Just spit it out! You're acting like you're love-dazed."

Gumi gasped.

"Dear, oh dear..." she said. "Could our little Miku be in love?"

Miku blushed even deeper. In a way, she was in love. It was the first time she had felt so... what was the word? Infatuated?

"The lifeguard." Miku flushed. "She had such beautiful eyes, such a kind face. She way she was swimming to rescue me... I can't put it into words. I admire her deeply for coming to my rescue. Since she saved my life, I want to know more about her. I want to know her name, I want to talk to her."

(Oh, why was Miku's face turning so red? Why was she feeling so tingly? Oh, stop it already! Be still Miku's heart!)

"Aww..." Gumi and Rin squealed in unison.

"But I do understand, she saved your life. Therefore, she's already an important person to you." Gumi said.

An important person...

"She is." Miku said. "In just those few moments when I saw her underwater, the world stopped and it just became me and her... the difference between my life and my death was her. Not to mention, she was so beautiful and inspiring. I must see her again..."

"That's such a dramatic way to put it." Rin said. "But, I could agree with it. We have to help! I kind of want to see her too. The least we could do is thank her for saving your life, Miku."

* * *

"Luka! Oh my gosh, that was incredible!"

Luka's shift as a lifeguard was over, and she and the rest of them were gathered on the edge of the pool, all congratulating and thanking her.

All of the female lifeguards wore colorful one-piece suits with crown symbols to fit with the princess theme of the park.

"I mean, you saved that girl's life... it was your very first rescue, and you were so calm and diligent." said one lifeguard. Her name was Chise.

Luka swallowed. To tell the truth, she wasn't really calm. She just kept all her fear and worry deep inside of her. Her placid face was a mask over all of her heart-thumping emotions, especially the ones she had felt while saving the drowning girl. She had almost wanted to cry from fear.

"Luka Megurine, you have been trained well. You surely are a treasure to this park's safety" the manager of the park bowed to her.

"Who knows, Luka. Maybe you'll even be featured on the news?" Chise said again. "I mean, you did something so big."

"I..." Luka cleared her throat. She was afraid her voice would come out strange-sounding from being so silent all the time. "I was just doing my job."

Everyone stared at her.

"Wow... she's so modest about it." one of the lifeguards thought.

"If I saved somebody's life, I'd be bragging about it. Luka totally gains my respect!"

"Go Luka!" everyone said.

Luka was feeling embarrassed right now from all the attention, but she hid it. She walked away calmly.

"She's off to do stuff." a male lifeguard said.

"Well, for a reward, I'm going to let her have the rest of the day off her shift." the manager said. "She deserves it. She can play around the park all she wants."

Luka was heading towards the lazy river, where the water was warm. Plus it was surrounded by hot tubs, where she could just relax and be away from people's attention.

But she was still thinking about the girl she had rescued. She seemed to be unconscious... was she okay now? They had said she would be okay. But Luka wanted to be sure. She wanted to see her smiling face.

"I was so worried about her that I had almost burst into tears." Luka thought. "I want to see her again. I want to know that she's okay."

* * *

**A/N**: This is just the beginning! Once Miku meets Luka again, all kinds of fluff will happen, yes. There will be Gumi x Rin too so stay tuned! Eeep I'm so tempted to put spoilers but I know I shouldn't...

Planned on being about four parts?

By the way, this "Chise" is an OC from one of my original series, Nichijou no Niji. She's here for a cameo! :p


	2. Chapter 2

"Um, excuse me." Miku walked up to Chise, a tall female lifeguard with silvery hair, and sheepishly began to ask a question. Rin and Gumi were closely behind her.

"Um... I was... that girl who couldn't swim and was drowning. Do you know the lifeguard who saved me?"

Miku gave her big puppy-eyes, hoping the girl would know the answer.

"Oh, yes... I do know her. Why? You want to thank her?" Chise pat Miku's head. Miku was cute, so naturally people took to petting her randomly.

Miku nodded. "I also want to do more than that! But please! Don't tell me her name!" Miku raised her hand up.

"Huh? Why?" Chise responded.

"Because... I want to her to tell me her name herself. I want to hear it from her! So, where is she?" Miku flailed.

"Well... okay. So I won't tell you her name." Chise went on. "But I need to warn you that Luー I-I mean... she's not exactly... vocal? Plus she doesn't really talk to anyone and I unfortunately don't know where she's at. She wanders off a lot without saying where she's going. She's... so cool..."

Chise floated off into a daze.

"Huh." Miku processed the information. "So she's the mysterious and silent type!"

"Yes, exactly!" Chise said, smiling wide. "She's a newcomer, yet she's the most sophisticated of us all! We all admire her!"

"And I can see why!" Miku cheered.

Rin and Gumi were watching the conversation, totally left out of it.

"Miku's not the only one crazy for her." Rin mentioned. Gumi nodded.

"Well, all I have to say is good luck having her tell you her name. That is, if you even find her!" Chise said.

"Alright!" Miku winked. "I accept this challenge! I will find her no matter what! Bye!"

With those final words, the spunky girl dashed off and Chise waved.

"That was so cute..." she muttered.

"Miku, hey! Wait up!" Miku's friends dashed off too, struggling to keep up with her.

* * *

"Someone as mysterious and heroic and silent as her is bound to be somewhere in line for... the Silver Serpent, the mega-waterside!" Miku insisted to herself.

The Silver Serpent... the biggest waterslide in the entire Otome Park! The first half of the slide is in complete darkness, when suddenly it shoots the rider out in front of a massive, soaking drop, leading straight into the water below! The water jets are fierce, making the ride speedy and extra thrilling.

Gumi's mouth gaped open as she tilted her head up to see how tall it was. Rin took her hand and pushed Gumi's mouth shut.

"Come on guys, I just know we'll find her in line for the water slide!" Miku eagerly urged.

Without a warning, she began to rush in that direction, towards the seemingly endless flight of blue stairs that swirled around in a spiraling pattern.

"Ah! Miku, don't run!" Gumi rasied her hand out to get Miku's attention. It was no use.

"Miku, there's too many stairs leading to there!" Rin yelled as well. "You're going to get exhausted!"

Miku suddenly came yelling down from the platform of stairs she had climbed.

"Come on guys, you said you wanted to see her too! What are you waiting for!?" Miku continued zooming up the stairs.

"But she—" Gumi started.

"—might not even be up there in the first place?" Rin finished her friend's sentence.

"It's so high up, maybe I'll be able to spy her from the top!" Miku yelled back down. The goofy smile was on her face again.

"…where in the world does Miku get all this energy from?" her two friends said in unison.

Gumi and Rin shrugged and began hiking up the stairs. They were many small flights, equaling a huge total of stairs in total. Eventually, their feet were aching, legs were shaking, and they were panting and sweating profusely.

"I swear, this must lead all the way to the sky…" Rin groaned. Gumi collapsed in deep breaths next to her.

"Okay, time to motivate us both!" Rin held a fist in the air. "Fight Gumi… fight… Rin, ganbatte… do your best… one, two, one, two..."

Rin breathlessly continued up the stairs. She was panting like a puppy, when suddenly, Gumi whimpered, grabbed her ankle, and quickly sat down right down on the edge. She was breathing heavily and an expression of agony was on her face.

"Rin... I think I pulled a leg muscle..." she squeaked out.

"Aw, oh no..." Rin said.

"Rin, I can't move... upwards or downwards. What am I going to do?"

"Well..." Rin squat down next to Gumi, causing relief for her own stiff legs. "We're closer to the top. So maybe once we get to the top, um... you can slide down the Silver Serpent, then rest at the bottom...?"

"Slide down... this slide!?" Gumi's mouth gaped in horror.

"But Gumi... what else are you going to do? You can't walk back down..."

"No! I can! I'll walk down all my myself-" Gumi jolted up, immediately whimpered as she got on her feet, and collapsed back down again in pain.

"Awawawa!" she grabbed her ankle tightly.

"Gumi... I have an idea." Rin stood back up and looked at her. "Hold on to the railing, hold onto my hand, and hop on your one leg that doesn't hurt. We'll go up, because it's dangerous to hop while going down."

Gumi, with teary eyes and a red face, nodded.

"But Rin... I... really don't want to slide down the slide." she squeaked.

"Gumi. If we have to, then I'll be with you." Rin closed her eyes and calmly reassured. "I promise."

Gumi, feeling relieved and grateful, grabbed onto Rin's hand tightly as she hobbled up the steps with one foot. Secretly, she didn't want to let go of Rin's hand. Holding hands made her feel secure, and she always knew she could hold onto Rin's as tightly as she needed.

* * *

After a few torturous mini-flights of stairs, the two girls had made it to the top, their faces all red. Miku was sitting on a beach chair at the top platform, panting her lungs out.

"Welcome, to the Silver Serpent Slide!" said the lady monitoring the slide. "Your friend Miku collapsed as soon as she got up here! She hadn't even realized that it's me here, haha!"

"Wait… no way…" Rin and Gumi gasped and sputtered in unison.

"M-M-Meiko!?"

The lady monitoring the slide was Miss Meiko Sakine, the girls' music teacher. She was a good, kind teacher, but very eccentric in her ideas and often was a little bit bossy (especially when it was about getting the class to do her weird lesson plans.)

She was a teacher with a youthful personality who often hung out with students, which was why everybody called her by her first name, Meiko.

"Well, well. Rin and Gumi are here too!" Meiko welcomed, flashing her mischevious grin. "So are you here to go to go down the slide? I'm super-surprised that timid little Gumi is all the way up here!"

Meiko also liked to tease.

"Don't call her timid!" Rin raised her voice. "Her leg's hurt! Yet she still continued climbing the stairs anyway! I'd call that courage!"

Meiko began to laugh. Rin was acting rather cute.

"I'm going to make you go down the slide!" the teacher continued.

"Ahhh!" all the girls screamed instinctively in unison, including Miku. Meiko burst into laughter, as if she enjoyed hearing their little screams…

Gumi peeked over the edge of the tall platform, seeing the water park—literally miniature below them. They were so high up that it looked like everything was spinning.

She cried and Rin walked up to pat her gently.

"Wait, before you slide down, I'm going to tell the story behind the slide." Meiko suddenly said. "Maybe it'll cheer Gumi up. She loves princess stories, doesn't she?"

Gumi shook her head and curled up into a little ball. Meiko continued talking.

"The story of the Silver Serpent slide is that… you're a princess, trapped in the top room of a tall tower in the middle of the sea. One day, a giant sea serpent rises out of the sea and tries to crush the tower and drown the princess into the sea."

Rin was hugging Gumi, who was being even more scared by the story.

"Come on girl, you can swim! The slide won't be that scary!"

Meiko continued, "But suddenly, a mermaid prince appears and tries to slay the serpent. As the serpent moves erratically, the prince tells the princess to jump on the long beast and to slide down it's back to the safety of his arms. You're going to slide down the serpent's back into the mermaid prince's arms! Does that sound exciting, girls?"

Miku suddenly jolted up from her chair. Her cheeks turned a rosy shade of pink and she grabbed onto her fluttering heart...

"That reminds me… of the lifeguard who saved me. She, who took me into her arms. If I were a princess…" Miku thought, suddenly turning tomato-red. "Oh my gosh… would that girl be my prince?"

Miku had the strangest of epiphanies. "Maybe… she slid off while we were climbing up here… and she's now waiting for me at the bottom. If I were to drown, she would surely grab me into her arms again just like before…"

Miku got chills re-imagining the contact she and the lifeguard had, even if only for a split second before Miku blacked out. She remembered how her arms and warmth had felt, so clearly. Her touch had felt so intimate, for a reason Miku couldn't explain in words.

Remembering her gave Miku that much courage, enough courage to go down the Silver Serpent.

"Meiko." Miku, with a flushed face, walked up to the teacher. "I'm going to slide down. Gumi, Rin… would you care to accompany me?"

Gumi was almost crying out of fear. "Miku, whyyy?" She squealed. "Don't do it…"

"Guys. I need to. My p-prince… sh-she is waiting for me at the bottom of the slide. I know it… I feel it…" the breeze began blowing through Miku's hair as she tilted her head back. Simply just talking about her made a kind of magic come alive inside of Miku.

"You're talking crazy-talk again, Miku…" Rin said, knowing exactly who this "prince" was.

"Guys… you can walk back down the stairs. I will slide down…" Miku began to walk.

"Wait! No! Gumi's leg is hurt and she can't-" Rin shouted, but Miku didn't seem to be paying attention.

She walked up to the dark tunnel filled with rushing water. The bottom was unable to be seen from the angle and the slope looked very steep, as if it could just swallow a person, especially a girl Miku's size.

"I can't believe she's going to do it!" Gumi and Rin huddled together in terror. Gumi pinched Rin's cheek.

Miku gave them one last cheerful smile, one last silly wink, and a final friendly wave…

"Have fun, Miku!" Meiko yelled the words and Miku closed her eyes, let go of the sides, and slid down with a whoop. The whole time, she held on to the love she had for her lifeguard hero in her heart.

Miku's two friends watched Miku get sucked down in dread.

"Miku!" They scrambled to the slide and proceeded to scream down the hole.

"Miiikuuuuu!"

Their calls echoed, and suddenly, out of the hole, a loud shrill scream came out and pieced the girls' ears.

It was Miku's scream or terror!

"Oh no, she's screaming!" Rin shrieked. Gumi pretended to faint.

"I bet they're screams of having too much FUN!" Meiko said. "So Rin, Gumi. Are you going to slide down too?"

Gumi looked at Meiko like she was crazy. Her teeth were chattering.

"No! I am simply waiting up her for my leg to get better... and then I'll walk back down. Oh... I hope it'll get better soon..." Gumi whimpered.

Rin sighed and pet Gumi again, softly behind her ear, where her wavy hair was soft.

"You're like a rabbit, Gumi." she said. "You're soft, twitchy, and timid. Don't worry though. Rin's going to be here with you."

* * *

Meanwhile, Miku was speeding towards the end of the slide, being sprayed out into a pool of semi-shallow water.

Sssssploosh!

"Aah, that was scary!" Miku said to herself, climbing out, feeling the weight of her heavy pigtails drag her down. Her heart was thumpthumpthumping. "But at the same time, it wasn't that bad! I thought I'd be landing in much deeper water!"

Right as Miku let out a relieved sigh and smiled, she spotted the lazy river very close by.

"Lazy river!" Miku shouted. "I love those!"

Miku actually had never been in a lazy river before, but she always imagined them to be so heavenly and relaxing... heck, anything with the word "lazy" in it had to be, right? The epitome of paradises!

Miku rushed there!

"Yes, I can't wait!"

Meanwhile, Gumi and Rin were seeing everything she was doing from the top of the "tower".

"I can see every single thing Miku does from here." Rin said.

Gumi was actually laughing, not even out of nervousness.

"It's so funny to see Miku spazzing out all by herself." she said.

"Pfbft. Yeah. It's also kind of cute." Rin said. "That's certainly our Miku. We could never mistake her."

"Welcome to the Aqua Promenade!" said the petite red-haired lady who monitored the lazy river. She had a flower tucked behind her ear and her name tag read "Haruko". She looked very childlike.

"I'm kidding! It's just the lazy river! But I'm not kidding either, because this attraction is called the Aqua Promenade. Wait... was I kidding, or not?" Haruko spazzed out, much like Miku habitually did.

"I dunno!" Miku said. "But did you happen to see one of the lifeguards going into here?" Miku asked. The tingles started again!

"Gee... I'm sorry, I don't know. I think I fell asleep?" Haruko said. "This music they play here is really... yaaawn..." Haruko clasped a hand over her mouth and collapsed back, closing her eyes.

"Enjoy the lazy river. Don't forget to get... a tube..."

Miku ended up missing the last part of Haruko's sentence, and excitedly swooped in the shallow stream without a tube to float on.

Haruko's eyes are fluttering shut, so she unfortunately couldn't see.

Down the lazy river Miku went. It felt good, relaxing and smooth.

"I totally forgot about finding her!" she said to herself. "But maybe she's here? I couldn't imagine someone heroic like her wanting to be in the lazy river, but..."

Meanwhile, Gumi and Rin were still watching Miku.

"She's going off without us..." Rin groaned.

"Well, I have a feeling she's looking for who she wants to see." Gumi said. "See how fired up she is?"

"It's like... we're spying on her, Gumi." Rin said.

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind." Gumi insisted.

"You guys have been acting like you have a sweet little secret." Meiko said. "What's the story, anyway? Who does Miku want to see? You've been acting like a bunch of 'otome' today since I saw you at Otome park!"

Rin and Gumi told Meiko the story.

"Now that's just cute beyond words." Meiko said. "But I mean... it's also really nice to hear. Miku is safe because somebody saved her? I have to say, I owe that person a million!"

"Yeah." Rin said. "So do I. Because Miku is..."

"...a true friend." Gumi finished. "And we couldn't ever lose someone like her."

Memories of Miku and visions of her smiling flashed through their heads as they all talked about her.

"Class wouldn't be the same without her," Meiko said. "She's a fun lil' girl, that's for sure!"

"Miku... she might be too hyper sometimes, and hard to keep up with, but..."

Everyone finished what Rin had to say. A warm breeze blew by.

"That's what we like about her."

* * *

"Is the lazy river supposed to have a current running through it?" Miku asked a boy sitting on a blue tube, sipping a drink that smelled delicious.

"Well of course!" he said. "How else would the tubes be floating through here? And where's your tube?"

Miku gave an awkward smile and giggled nervously.

"Aaaaah... um, I'm not good with currents, haha! And a tube? I don't have one! Whooa!"

And suddenly, the steady smooth current became a little bit brasher. Miku was being swept away, mostly because her long locks were dragging her.

"Whoops!" she cried out in her head. "I guess I can't be lazy here after all, haha! Whoa-"

This time she had been tripped over by a pipe spraying water out forcefully.

"I'm so clumsy!" she cried out mentally. Her face dunked into the water and she struggled to get up.

* * *

Bump!

Something curious knocked on to the back of Luka's floating tube. She tilted her sunglasses just for a second. She could've just imagined it. She continued sipping her Blue Hawaii drink and crossed her long legs one more time. She was thoroughly enjoying herself doing something so simple.

Splash!

Something curious made a splash to her side, and this time Luka tilted her sunglasses upwards and looked. There was a hand sticking up out of the water... before bending itself and being submerged back down.

Familiar long, turquoise hair was floating above the water...

Luka's drink slipped from her hands and landed into the water, dying a small part of it blue. Immediately she lowered herself from her tube and dove underwater...

Miku had gone from feeling silly to being devastated. Was she going to drown again!?

Her eyes were closed tight, and for a second she thought she was only imagining the warm embrace that encompassed her all over again...

Miku suddenly felt like she was floating in a sea of stars and dreams.

It was more than a grip. It immersed her in a warm, floaty feeling. Long hair enclosing over her, a sweet beautiful face being near hers... what was this? The exact same thing was happening again!?

Still underwater, she dared to open her eyes.

The first thing she saw once they fluttered open was a face that made her heart stop. It was smiling subtly, a mature and friendly-looking face... with long hair trailing behind her as if she were a mermaid. Her arms were grabbing onto Miku's body.

This time, Miku took her arms, and shifted backwards, putting her hands in hers and holding on tightly.

She smiled and her heart fluttered. They were both floating. It was so surreal for Miku.

Soon they stood up with their upper bodies out of the water. Without a word, Miku hugged the girl tightly as if she were a longtime friend. Her heart was beating so fast that she was sure she could be able to feel it, yet she didn't mind. She couldn't let her go. Her hero...

"Who is this girl?" Luka thought, as her curiosity peaked. "This is strange, very strange. She's like an illusion... she's drowned twice in front of my very own eyes. This is the second the I've saved her..."

Luka took her own arms slowly, and gently and began embracing the strange girl back. Her touch was securing, yet subtle, as if the mysterious girl was made out of something so fragile that could just slip away.

"Her hair is so long." she thought, brushing it with her fingers. "Such a mysterious girl."

A strange girl, like an illusion. Already, she had made Luka feel emotions she hadn't felt until this day. The feeling of saving somebody who was slowly slipping away... longing to see their face again, with a smile to know that they're okay.

And now, as she had her in her arms, she didn't want her to slip away again into the depths of deep water. Her heart simply wouldn't take it.

"Why do you always drown?" Luka thought.

They didn't even know each other's names. They hadn't spoke a word to each other, yet already, they felt like an important friend to each other. Someone that either of them couldn't let go of.

Slowly, they parted from the hug and looked each other in the eye.

Luka thought Miku's eyes were so pretty, exactly like the water that surrounded her.

Miku thought Luka's eyes looked like sapphires, so vivid, deep and gallant.

As excitement was pounding through her, Miku began smiling.

Suddenly, Luka felt something warm bubble up in her heart. Miku's smile...

She got to see the poor girl smile... she was okay. Her smile was so cheerful and shone in the sunlight above them.

Luka's face went red, and to hide her misty eyes, she closed her eyes and grinned as well.

"Thank you." the first words flew from Miku's mouth and touched Luka.

"You saved me twice. You're really my hero." she said. "I've been looking for you. I want us... I want us to be friends."

Miku's heart was beating so fast, and her cheeks turned a rosy pink. She shyly looked away, then back to Luka's face.

Luka couldn't believe what she was hearing. This girl... the one she simply couldn't forget about. She wanted to be friends...?

Friends... it was a word Luka was unfamiliar with. She felt immensely happy, yet...

"We are already friends."

Luka spoke her thoughts without thinking about them. She instantly turned a bit red.

"I mean... I..." Luka hid her face.

Miku couldn't believe what she saw either. This girl was shy? The last thing Miku expected was for her hero to be shy.

But Miku's heart fluttered. She had heard Luka's voice for the first time and it was the exact way she had imagined itーdeep and beautiful like the ocean itself.

"I know what you mean." Miku said. "You were my friend, always. Well, since you saved me. I still can't thank you enough. Plus, you're so pretty!"

"I..." Luka's words froze in her mouth.

"Thanks..."

Without a word, Luka put her hands around Miku's shoulder and bashfully looked into her face.

"I am so relieved you are okay." she said, trembling the slightest bit. "You had me so worried... please, don't worry me like this again."

Miku put her hand into Luka's.

"I'm sorry. Well, I can't swim, I'm clumsy... but you're so amazing because you can! I want... I wanna be like you someday! You inspired me!"

Luka hasn't felt this touched in such a long time.

"Come on." Miku said. "Let's play together! It's my way of thanking you!"

Seeing her smile... how grateful Luka felt when she had thanked her... how important they already were to each other...

Luka knew right at that moment that she had a true friend.

* * *

"That girl Miku was talking with... could it be?" Gumi peered down to the lazy river.

"You know? I think it is! She looks the way Miku described her, all beautiful and kind." Rin answered.

Gumi sighed.

"It's been a while... and my leg isn't feeling better. I guess..."

She gulped. Her body overrun with shivers and her stomach began aching.

"Since I still can't walk down the stairs, I'm going to have to slide down the Silver Serpent to get down. Rin, help me..."

...

* * *

**A/N**: Who's Haruko? Why, she's another one of my OC's!

Oh, and "otome" is basically Japanese for "maiden", or "young girl", or female youth. Just throwing that out there because Meiko made a pun about the park's name and the girls' behavior.

Yay! And oh no! Gumi has to face her fears... but we're going to find out more about Luka, and see how she and Miku bond :3


	3. Chapter 3

**UPDATE**: Since I kind of prefer stories like this to have shorter parts, this will now actually be **seven** parts instead of four. They might be a little bit shorter, but that's because I took part three and four and basically split them in half.

...

* * *

The two were walking back to the shallow end of the pool, where Rin and Gumi were to be waiting for them. The sun meanwhile was setting. Sparkling beach umbrellas all around them reflected the sky's orange glow, painting the atmostphere a rich color as the two walked side-by-side.

"You don't have to be shy..." Miku said, noticing that the taller girl was bashfully crossing her arms and staying quiet.

Luka had earlier changed out of her lifeguard swimsuit into her own gold bikini, which she managed to look quite splendid in. Miku was secretly admiring how slim and well-built she was, how the gold of her swimsuit made her look so... shiny and bright. She certainly looked the part of a cool, silent protector...

"Oh, by the way... my name is Miku." the pigtailed girl sheepishly looked up right into Luka's face and smiled, attempting to have her open up a little.

"Miku..." Luka murmured. It was a nice name. It made her feel warm inside as she mouthed it.

Yeah, that's right!" Miku grinned. "So what's your name? I've been dying to know!" Miku was feeling chills. Oh, how she had waited for this moment!

"My name...?" Luka was coy. "It is Luka Megurine... call me 'Luka'."

"Ah, nice to meet you, Luka!" Miku beamed. "That's a really pretty name!"

"It's European, but it translated well into Japanese." Luka said.

"Oh! So, are you from Europe?" Miku asked excitedly. Someone exotic? This was exciting!

Luka nodded. "I come to Japan sometimes in the summer." she said. "I have family who live here. One of my relatives married into a Japanese household, so..."

"Oh, cool!" Miku interrupted. Luka quietly nodded.

"So um... ah! I still feel like I owe you, because you saved my life and all that..." Miku started saying.

Luka suddenly put one hand on Miku's shoulder and stopped walking for a moment right under an empty beach umbrella.

"You don't have to owe anything..." she said in a serious tone. Miku blushed. She couldn't accept that! She had to pay Luka back somehow!

"Um... will a thousand hugs be enough to pay you back?" Miku asked. "Because um... I really wanna hug you. And I'm broke, so I can't do much anything else. Well, my parents aren't broke. But I am though, and..."

Miku realized Luka was giggling softly.

"H-Hey! Don't laugh because you're older than me!" Miku said.

"I'm not!" Luka wiped tears from her eyes. "I'm laughing because you are cute."

Miku blushed and turned her head, surprised. Practically everyone she knew had said that about her at one point, but coming from Luka... it felt like a flattering compliment.

"And besides, I bet I'm not that much older than you." Luka said. "I'm eighteen. And how old are you, Miku? Sixteen?"

"Hey, how did you know?" Miku exclaimed.

"I just had a thought." Luka said, smiling.

"Well..." Luka sat down at the nearby beach chair and Miku followed. "I envy you a little bit. You're young and still cute, Miku. I'm not..."

Miku waved her hands in front of her.

"Ah, that's not true! I mean... I think you're cute, Luka! Really!"

Miku began rubbing Luka's soft little shoulder with her cheek.

"Well... actually, being cute isn't exactly as great as you think." she pouted. "People would always want to squeeze you, pinch your cheek, pull your hair, tease you a lot... the list goes on and on."

Miku leaned back and was surprised to feel a hand softly patting her head. Luka was softly stroking her hair.

"Poor Miku." she said, gently.

Miku leaned on Luka's shoulder again, snuggling up to her a bit.

"You're really nice, Luka." she said. "And in a way, you make me feel safe."

Luka tried hiding her sentimental smile. On the inside, she was touched by Miku's words. With the gentle push of her snuggled up to her shoulder, Luka felt a certain kind of peace that only came around once in a while in the warmest of moments.

"You are nice too, Miku." Luka said.

After a few moments, the two got up again.

"Let's go back into the pool. Rin and Gumi should be waiting for us."

When Miku and Luka got there however, there were only a few children playing along the illuminated water. Rin and Gumi were nowhere to be found.

"Huh?" Miku was perplexed.

"Um... oh no. Why would they still be stuck up on the slide though? Are they that scared? Why can't they just go back down the stairs..."

"Miku!"

Interrupting Miku's out-loud train of thought was Meiko, racing towards them, even though the bold signs all around said "No Running".

"Miku! Didn't you know that Gumi's leg is hurt?" Meiko said, quickly. "She can't walk back down the stairs, and she's too scared to go down the slide on her own."

"Ooh..." Miku suddenly felt guilt inside her. She thought back to when she was laying flat on the chair on top of the flight of stairs...

It suddenly came back to her.

"Aw man... I think they did say something about that, only it didn't register..." Miku hit her head. "I'm such a bad listener..."

"I'm sure they'll forgive you!" Meiko said. "But here, I brought you a walky-talky. It's connected to Gumi's. She has the other one."

Meiko handed Miku a bulky black cellphone-like item.

"Miku! Are you here yet!" a shivering voice came through. Gumi's.

"Ah, yes! I am! Gumi! This is Miku!" she yelled back into it.

"Oh Miku... I'm so sorry I'm such a coward. I'm spending all day up here because of my stupid leg, and because I'm so scared to slide down... oh, Miku..."

"It's alright." Miku said. "It's actually not that bad of a ride! I mean... it's a little fast... and dizzying... and a little bit steep and..."

Miku was interrupted by Gumi's shriek.

"Miku, that isn't helping her!" Rin snapped from the background.

"I'm sorry!" Miku flailed. "But... I have an idea! I'll sing a song. I want Gumi to sing along, and sing as she slides down the slide. She just has to remember that I'm singing with her, even though she can't hear me."

"Hey, that's a good idea!" both girls said together.

Luka nodded to Miku.

Miku took a deep breath, awoken her heart's feelings inside her, and parted her lips. A sweet voice came out of her, bubbled through the air, and into the walky-talky.

Gumi instantly recognized the song and started singing along with it. For a while, she was immersed in it.

But when she remembered having to slide down, she stopped singing and felt the rock come back into her stomach.

"Miku, I'm still scared..." she muttered.

Everything went quiet for a while. Miku sighed somberly as she heard the sound of Gumi beginning to cry.

"I'm sorry..." she said. "It's just a stupid slide, but..."

She began sobbing.

Suddenly, Luka spoke up from behind Miku and stood foward.

"I'll help." she said, coming towards Miku and the walky-talky. "I will sing with you, Miku and Gumi."

Miku's face lit up.

"I'll sing too." Rin said, on the other side of the line.

Miku was now smiling brightly.

"Yes! Let's all give Gumi some courage..."

All four of their bright voices rang merrily in unison. The park was suddenly filled with not only a melody, but a warm feeling. Bright and merry...

Meiko was still watching from the back. Her heart was melting from this, but she still stood there composed. She was refusing to show how much of an emotional sap she truly was...

Singing with everybody, including Rin, who was cuddled up next to her, Gumi's worries eventually lifted into the air, melting away gradually.

Eventually she stood up again, putting her weight on her foot that wasn't injured.

"Rin. I'm going to slide down. I'm not... I'm not scared."

Gumi gave a shaky smile and suddenly looked right at Rin. Both their faces shone in the sweet sunset.

The mood of the calming song, the sunset... all of it got to Gumi and crept inside her heart.

"I am going to go..." she said. "But... before I go, thank you for all you've done for me, Rin. Thanks for the courage you've given me. Not just right now, but ever since I met you."

"Gumi..." Rin's eyes became all big and she looked at her, feeling sentimental.

"Ever since I first met you." Gumi said fondly. "It was... back when I didn't have any friends. But then I saw you, standing under that big tree in art class. You looked so beautiful in the sunlight, that I had to draw you for my art project."

Rin nodded and smiled, feeling fond about the memory as well. "I was The Girl in the Sunlight..."

"Yes, you were." Gumi looked at Rin with big, affectionate eyes. "And you saw my drawing, said it was so beautiful... and that compliment meant the whole world to me. And then after that, I told you that the drawing was of you and we became friends."

Rin nodded, her eyes shining. "You're the best friend I could ask for, Gumi." she said softly.

"And ever since that day, you've given me courage I've never had before. All the times we spent together, the good and the bad. So thank you..."

Gumi was walking towards the flittering sunset, towards the entrance of the slide.

"You've made me a braver person. Now all I have to do is remember all the courage you've given to me as I slide down. I won't be scared."

Miku and Luka were hearing the entire conversation from the other side of the walky-talky.

"Aww..." Miku squealed, covering her rosy-pink face. "My friends are so beautiful and sweet... oh, Luka! You simply just have to meet them... Luka?"

Miku saw that Luka had her hands to her face and was wiping something out of her eyes. She was making small whimpering sounds and her face was pink.

"Luka..." Miku said. "Are you okay?"

Luka buried her face in her hands.

"I... just have sunscreen in my eyes." she said quietly, hiding her little whimpers.

Miku understood. Luka was being moved. She hugged the gentle tall girl close to her, patted her shoulder gently, and kept listening.

Gumi suddenly turned back, her eyes full, reflecting the orange sunset, her expression filled with warmth.

Suddenly, she ran towards Rin and threw her arms around her in a fit of emotion.

"Rin, I love you."

Rin's eyes expanded, she stood still as the slow-moving clouds above. Her face turned pink and warm with affection. The hearts of both girls were fluttering.

On top of the tower close to the caramel sky, brand new feelings had been born.

"I've loved you... always..." Gumi continued.

"Gumi." Rin whispered back to her. "I love you too."

Golden feelings were locking into one another, the warmth of the two spread out between them and encompassed their hearts, in the same rhythm, the same gentle glow...

Rin slowly wrapped her own hands around Gumi, tightening her grip in a small bit of apprehension. Slowly, they looked into each other's eyes and everything around them began to melt away. The two were simply floating together in the rainbow sunset sky.

Slowly, gently, and on the highest point of the park, two girls shared one sweet, special kiss. Their fluttering hearts took off like butterflies together and in that moment, they were soaring through the skies.

As they parted from their kiss and embrace, both of their knees shook, their eyes sparkled like crystals.

"Rin. I'm not scared anymore." Gumi said.

Slowly, she approached the slide and began sitting down at the entrance with a content sigh.

"Gumi..." Rin said. "Are you sure? Because..."

Gumi calmly nodded and looked back at Rin.

"I'm going to."

Rin smiled back, and waved kindly.

"Have a nice trip!" she said, sweetly.

"I will!" said Gumi, with a grin on her face.

Steadily, smiling to herself, she slid her body down the slope until gravity began to do the rest.

"Whoooooo!" she yelled enthusiastically as the pace began to pick up. She was sliding down the Silver Serpent, fearless, finally.

Rin was smiling from ear-to-ear, listening to Gumi's relieving yell of delight.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself." she muttered softly into the air. "Gumi... you are brave."

* * *

**A/N**: Gumi x Rin!

All that emotion for GOING DOWN A SLIDE. :o

I know my writing style is really really really really saccharine and corny and purple and SAPPY. I hope it didn't make you want to bang your head against a wall. And if it did, then whoops, sorry!

I'm also apologizing for this, but I got so excited about having a lot of followers that I couldn't wait to put on a next part... :(

That's why I split parts three and four in half...

Well, I hope you enjoyed this, even though it had more Gumi x Rin in it.


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